AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



291 



ORN 



A genus of curious little epiphytal Orchids, 

 natives of tropical America. O. grandiflorus, 

 a very pretty and desirable species with yellow 

 flowers, is, perhaps, the only species in culti- 

 vation. 

 Ornithochi'lus. From ornis, ornithos, a bird, 

 and cheilos, a lip ; referring to the shape of 

 the labellum. Nat. Ord. OrchidacecB. 



A small genus of stove-house Orchids, 

 natives ot Burmah and the Himalayas. N. 

 fuscus has brownish-yellow flowers striped 

 with purple, and very fragrant. It is often 

 found in cultivation as Aerides diforme. 

 Ornitho'galum. Star oi Bethlehem. From ornis, 

 a bird, and gala, milk. Nat. Ord. LiliacecB. 



A rather large genus of bulbous plants, the 

 species of which are natives of southern 

 Europe, western Asia, and the Cape of Good 

 Hope. Several of the species are hardy, and 

 grow so freely as to become a nuisance ; this 

 is particularly so with O. umbellatum, the 

 pretty little Star of Bethlehem, that has 

 escaped in many places from the gardens into 

 the meadows, and taken almost complete pos- 

 session, and become very troublesome. O. 

 caudatum, a tender species from the Cape of 

 Good Hope, has very large, watery-looking 

 bulbs; the leaves are broad and very long, and 

 they wither and shrivel up at the tip, so as to 

 have a round, tail-like appearance ; whence 

 their common name, Long-tailed Ornithoga- 

 lum. This species is sometimes called Onion 

 Lily, and is a favorite with the Cliinese, who 

 grow it in dishes filled with water and gravel. 

 Its tenacity of life is most remarkable, as it 

 will grow anywhere and under almost any cir- 

 cumstances, in water or hung up against a 

 wall in a dry room, in rich earth or poor, in- 

 doors or out, and, with slight protection, will 

 endure our winters. Its flower scape is from 

 two to four feet in length, and it keeps in 

 bloom for several months. There is but little 

 beauty in the flowers of most of the species. 

 O. Arabicum has large white flowers with a 

 black centre, and has a distinct aromatic 

 odor. O. thyrsoides has yellow flowers in 

 dense racen)es, twelve to thirty flowered, 

 borne on an erect scape twelve to eighteen 

 inches long. There are several varieties of 

 this species, O. t. album, pure white with dark 

 centre ; O. t. aureum, golden-coloi'ed, and 0. t. 

 flavhisimum, much brighter yellow than the 

 type, are all distinct and desirable green-house 

 plants, and are deserving of a place in every 

 collection. All the species are increased by 

 offsets. 

 Ornithoglo'ssum. From ornis, ornithos, a bird, 

 and glossa, a tongue ; referring to resemblance 

 existing in tlie petals. Nat. Ord. Liliacece. 



A genus of bulbous plants, with simple or 

 slightly-branched, leafy stems, with green and 

 purple or white flowers, natives of south 

 Africa. They thrive well in sandy loam, and 

 require the same general treatment as Tigrida. 

 Syn. Lichtensteinia. 

 Oriii'thopus. Bird's foot. From ornis, orni- 

 thos, a bird, and pous, a foot ; referring to the 

 claw-like legumes or seed pods. A genus 

 of Leguminosce of which one species, O. 

 perpvsillus, a small prostrate herb, is not un- 

 common in dry, gravelly soils in Great Britain. 

 O. sativus, the Serradilla, by some considered 

 merely a variety of O. perpusillus, a native of 

 Portugal, is a valuable agricultural plant, in- 



ORT 



troduced to cultivation in 1818, and particu- 

 larly worthy of attention from the fact of its 

 producing an abundant crop of excellent fod- 

 der, where nothing else will grow to perfec- 

 tion. 



O'rnus. Flowering Ash. From oreinos, ancient 

 name of the Ash ; applied on account of the 

 resemblance and affinity. Nat. Ord. OleacecB. 

 Hardy, white-flowered, deciduous trees. 

 The genus includes about a dozen species, all 

 intei'esting on account of their clustered pan- 

 icles of pure white flowers, borne at the ex- 

 tremities of the branches. In Sicily several 

 of the species are extensively grown under 

 the name of Manna Ash, the trees yielding 

 the saccharine substance commercially known 

 as Manna, the properties of which are pur- 

 gative instead of nourishing ; consequently it 

 could not have been the Manna that sustained 

 the Hebrews in the wilderness, although it is 

 known by that name at the present day. This 

 genus is included under Fraxinus by some 

 authors. 



Oroba'nche. A genus of singular-looking par- 

 asitic plants, typical of the Orobanchacem, 

 and represented by a variety of species which 

 grow severally on the roots of Clover, Ivy, 

 Furze, Beans, Tobacco, Hemp, etc. Some of 

 them are agricultural pests, and do a great 

 deal of damage. 



O'robus. From oro, to excite, and hous, an ox ; 

 the Orobus of Theophrastus was the name of 

 a plant used for fattening cattle. Nat. Ord. 

 LeguminoscB. 



An extensive genus of hardy perennials, dis- 

 tinguished from Lathyrus chiefly by not being 

 of a climbing habit of growth. The majority 

 of the species are very handsome when in 

 flower, which is generally in spring. There 

 is a similarity between many of them ; the 

 following are the most distinct : O. aurantius, 

 orange-yellow ; O. lathyroides, bright blue ; 

 O. vermis, purple and blue, with red veins ; 

 and 0. taurica, orange. 0. pubescens, O. can- 

 escens, O. varius, and 0. Fischeri, are also 

 good showy species, but O. vernus and its 

 varieties are the handsomest of the species. 

 All are of easy culture, and are increased by 

 seeds or division of the root. 



Oro'ntium. Golden Club. Derivation of name 

 obscure. Nat. Ord. Aroidem. 



This genus consists of two species of aquatic 

 plants. 0. aquaticum is common in ponds 

 from Maine to Florida, near the coast. O. 

 Japonicum, a native of Japan and the East 

 Indies, has leaves like Lily of the Valley, 

 green on the upper side, and covered with 

 very minute hairs, so that they look like fine 

 velvet. These leaves are readily eaten by 

 cattle and swine in spring. The seeds are 

 boiled and eaten like peas by the natives. 

 This species makes a beautiful plant for the 

 aquarium. 



Orpine. A common name for Sedum Telephium. 



Orris Root. The root of Iris Florentina. 



Orthosi'phon. From orthos, straight, and 

 siphon, a curved tube ; alluding to the tube of 

 the flower. Nat. Ord. Labiatm. 



A genus of perennial herbs or shrubs, 

 natives of the East Indies, the Malayan Archi- 

 pelago, Africa and Australia. O. stamineus 

 lias pretty pale lilac-blue flowers, nearly one 

 inch long, arranged in whorls, and these 



